Ed Sullivan Theater
Encyclopedia
The Ed Sullivan Theater, located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd
and West 54th
, in Manhattan
, is a venerable radio and television studio
in New York City
. The 1200-seat theater — of which 400 seats are used for TV audiences — has been used as a venue for live and taped CBS
broadcasts since 1936.
It is best known as the longtime home of The Ed Sullivan Show
and the site of the first U.S. Beatles performance. Since 1993, it has been the home of the Late Show with David Letterman
and is on the list of National Register of Historic Places. The interior has been designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
.
office building with a ground-floor theater was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp
. It was built by Arthur Hammerstein
between 1925 and 1927, and was named Hammerstein's Theater after his father, Oscar Hammerstein I
. The original neo-Gothic interior contained pointed-arch stained-glass windows with scenes from the elder Hammerstein's operas; during a 1993 renovation, these windows were removed and stored by CBS
in an arrangement with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
. Its first production was the three-hour musical Golden Dawn, the second male lead of which was Cary Grant
, then still using his birth name, Archie Leach. Arthur Hammerstein went bankrupt in 1931, and lost ownership of the building.
It later went by the name Manhattan Theater, Billy Rose
's Music Hall, and the Manhattan once again. In the 1930s, it became a nightclub. After CBS
obtained a long-term lease on the property, the radio network began broadcasting from there in 1936, moving in broadcast facilities it had leased at NBC Studios
in Radio City
. Architect William Lescaze
renovated the interior, keeping nearly all of the Krapp design but covering many walls with smooth white panels, his work earning praise from the magazine Architectural Forum. The debut broadcast was the Major Bowes Amateur Hour
. The theater had various names during the network's tenancy, including Radio Theater #3 and the CBS Radio Playhouse. It was converted for television in 1950, when it became CBS-TV Studio 50. In the early and mid-Fifties, the theater played host to many of the live telecasts of The Jackie Gleason Show
.
Newspaper columnist and impresario Ed Sullivan
, who had started hosting his variety show Toast of the Town, soon renamed The Ed Sullivan Show
, from the Maxine Elliott Theatre (CBS Studio 51) on West 39th Street in 1948, moved to Studio 50 a few years later. The theater was renamed for Sullivan at the beginning of the 1967-68 season
, though it is still TV Studio 50 in CBS' numerical list of New York television facilities.
In the 1960s, Studio 50 was one of CBS' busiest stages not only for Sullivan's program but also for The Merv Griffin Show
, as well as several game shows. In 1965, Studio 50 was converted to color, and the first color episode of The Ed Sullivan Show originated from the theater on October 31, 1965. (The program originated from CBS Television City
in color for the previous six weeks while the color equipment was installed. One earlier color episode of the program originated from Studio 72 at Broadway and 81st on August 22, 1954.) What's My Line?
, To Tell the Truth
and Password also called the studio home after CBS began broadcasting regularly in color; previously, they had been taped around the corner at CBS-TV Studio 52, which later became the disco
Studio 54
. The first episode of regular color telecasts of What's My Line?
was broadcast live on September 11, 1966. Line and Truth remained at Studio 50 even after they moved from CBS to first-run syndication in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The programs eventually moved to NBC's Radio City Studios
at Rockefeller Center
.
The Ed Sullivan Theater was also the first home for The $10,000 Pyramid
, with its huge end-game board set at the rear of the stage, in 1973. Other short-lived game shows produced at the Ed included Musical Chairs with singer Adam Wade (1975), Shoot For The Stars
with Geoff Edwards
(1977) (which was an NBC show), and Pass the Buck
with Bill Cullen
(1978).
The CBS lease on the building expired in 1981 and, now a Reeves Entertainment teletape
facility, it hosted the sitcom Kate & Allie
, which ran from 1984 to 1989 (as it happened, on CBS). In 1990 David Niles
/1125 Productions signed onto the lease, with the theater to house his HDTV studio and new Broadway show Dreamtime
. During Dreamtimes successful run, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7D61F3DF931A15751C0A965958260&scp=1&sq=CBS+buys+a+theater+to+keep+letterman&st=nyt CBS bought the building from Winthrop Financial Associates of Boston. Niles was given four weeks to vacate. Due to the economics of moving the show and the lack of a comparable available Broadway theater, Dreamtime closed. The quick sale and vacancy of the building earned the realtor the Henry Hart Rice Achievement Award for the Most Ingenious Deal of the Year for 1993.
When David Letterman
switched networks from NBC to CBS, CBS bought the theater in February 1993 for $4 million from Winthrop Financial Associates of Boston. The theater was reconfigured into a 400-seat studio, with lighting and sound adjustments. The architectural firm that did the work, Polshek Partnership
, notes on its web site that "to preserve the architectural integrity of the landmark, all interventions are reversible."
In 2005, it took nearly four months to retrofit the theater with the cabling and equipment necessary to broadcast high definition television.
Near the beginning of the first Letterman show in the fall of 1993, a quick reference was made to Sullivan's legacy, by splicing together several short clips of Sullivan introducing various acts, including, presumably, the singing group The Lettermen
. This resulted in a fake clip of Sullivan saying, "And now, here on our stage... David... Letterman!" Letterman also joked that his crew opened an old closet in the theater which contained a 45-year old woman screaming, "Ringo!
"
reunion at the conclusion of each even numbered season beginning with season six (The Amazon). The theater also hosted marquee-top concerts by a few artists, including Phish
in 2004, and Sir Paul McCartney
in 2009. On June 22, 2010, the theater's roof served as the site of a concert featuring Eminem
and Jay-Z
.
53rd Street (Manhattan)
53rd Street is a midtown cross street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that contains buildings such as the Citicorp Building. It is 1.83 miles long. The street runs westbound from Sutton Place across most of the island's width, ending at DeWitt Clinton Park at Eleventh Avenue...
and West 54th
54th Street (Manhattan)
54th Street is a two-mile-long, one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan.-West Side Highway:*The route begins at the West Side Highway . Opposite the intersection is the New York Passenger Ship Terminal and the Hudson River...
, in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, is a venerable radio and television studio
Television studio
A television studio is an installation in which a video productions take place, either for the recording of live television to video tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The 1200-seat theater — of which 400 seats are used for TV audiences — has been used as a venue for live and taped CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
broadcasts since 1936.
It is best known as the longtime home of The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
and the site of the first U.S. Beatles performance. Since 1993, it has been the home of the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
and is on the list of National Register of Historic Places. The interior has been designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
.
First 66 years
The 13-story, brown brick and terra cottaTerra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
office building with a ground-floor theater was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp
Herbert J. Krapp
Herbert J. Krapp was a theatre architect and designer in the early part of the twentieth century.Krapp was an apprentice with the Herts & Tallant firm, where he was involved with designing the plans for the Lyceum, Shubert, Booth, New Amsterdam and Longacre Theatres, among others. He departed the...
. It was built by Arthur Hammerstein
Arthur Hammerstein
Arthur Hammerstein , was the son of Oscar Hammerstein I and uncle of Oscar Hammerstein II, was an opera producer and one of the writers of the song "Because of You," a major hit for Tony Bennett in 1951. Hammerstein wrote the song in 1940. It was used in the film I Was an American Spy...
between 1925 and 1927, and was named Hammerstein's Theater after his father, Oscar Hammerstein I
Oscar Hammerstein I
Oscar Hammerstein I was a businessman, theater impresario and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America...
. The original neo-Gothic interior contained pointed-arch stained-glass windows with scenes from the elder Hammerstein's operas; during a 1993 renovation, these windows were removed and stored by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in an arrangement with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
. Its first production was the three-hour musical Golden Dawn, the second male lead of which was Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, then still using his birth name, Archie Leach. Arthur Hammerstein went bankrupt in 1931, and lost ownership of the building.
It later went by the name Manhattan Theater, Billy Rose
Billy Rose
William "Billy" Rose was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. He is credited with many famous songs, notably "Me and My Shadow" , "It Happened in Monterey" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"...
's Music Hall, and the Manhattan once again. In the 1930s, it became a nightclub. After CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
obtained a long-term lease on the property, the radio network began broadcasting from there in 1936, moving in broadcast facilities it had leased at NBC Studios
NBC Studios
The NBC Studios in New York, New York is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the historic GE Building houses the headquarters of the NBC television network, its parent General Electric, and NBC's flagship station WNBC , as well as cable news channel MSNBC.When NBC Universal relocated,...
in Radio City
NBC Radio City Studios
NBC Radio City Studios is the name given to radio and television studio complexes in New York's Rockefeller Center, San Francisco, and the former radio-TV complex located at the northeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, California....
. Architect William Lescaze
William Lescaze
William Edmond Lescaze was a Swiss-born American architect, and is one of the pioneers of modernism in American architecture....
renovated the interior, keeping nearly all of the Krapp design but covering many walls with smooth white panels, his work earning praise from the magazine Architectural Forum. The debut broadcast was the Major Bowes Amateur Hour
Major Bowes Amateur Hour
Major Bowes Amateur Hour, American radio's best-known talent show, was one of the most popular programs broadcast in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s...
. The theater had various names during the network's tenancy, including Radio Theater #3 and the CBS Radio Playhouse. It was converted for television in 1950, when it became CBS-TV Studio 50. In the early and mid-Fifties, the theater played host to many of the live telecasts of The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
.
Newspaper columnist and impresario Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
, who had started hosting his variety show Toast of the Town, soon renamed The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, from the Maxine Elliott Theatre (CBS Studio 51) on West 39th Street in 1948, moved to Studio 50 a few years later. The theater was renamed for Sullivan at the beginning of the 1967-68 season
1967-68 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all three networks for the fall season beginning in September 1967. All times are Eastern and Pacific.New fall series are highlighted in bold....
, though it is still TV Studio 50 in CBS' numerical list of New York television facilities.
In the 1960s, Studio 50 was one of CBS' busiest stages not only for Sullivan's program but also for The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...
, as well as several game shows. In 1965, Studio 50 was converted to color, and the first color episode of The Ed Sullivan Show originated from the theater on October 31, 1965. (The program originated from CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
in color for the previous six weeks while the color equipment was installed. One earlier color episode of the program originated from Studio 72 at Broadway and 81st on August 22, 1954.) What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
, To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
and Password also called the studio home after CBS began broadcasting regularly in color; previously, they had been taped around the corner at CBS-TV Studio 52, which later became the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
. The first episode of regular color telecasts of What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
was broadcast live on September 11, 1966. Line and Truth remained at Studio 50 even after they moved from CBS to first-run syndication in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The programs eventually moved to NBC's Radio City Studios
NBC Radio City Studios
NBC Radio City Studios is the name given to radio and television studio complexes in New York's Rockefeller Center, San Francisco, and the former radio-TV complex located at the northeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, California....
at Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
.
The Ed Sullivan Theater was also the first home for The $10,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, with its huge end-game board set at the rear of the stage, in 1973. Other short-lived game shows produced at the Ed included Musical Chairs with singer Adam Wade (1975), Shoot For The Stars
Shoot For The Stars
Shoot for the Stars is a game show created and produced by Bob Stewart, and aired on the NBC television network. The show aired from January 3 to September 30, 1977, and was produced in New York City...
with Geoff Edwards
Geoff Edwards
Geoffrey Bruce Owen "Geoff" Edwards is an American television actor, game show host and radio personality. Over the past decade and a half, he has been a writer and broadcaster on travel. He was born in Westfield, New Jersey....
(1977) (which was an NBC show), and Pass the Buck
Pass the Buck (game show)
Pass the Buck is a game show that aired on CBS television's daytime lineup from April 3 to June 30, 1978. The series was hosted by Bill Cullen and was created by Bob Stewart. Bob Clayton was the announcer.-Gameplay:...
with Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
(1978).
The CBS lease on the building expired in 1981 and, now a Reeves Entertainment teletape
Teletape Studios
Reeves Teletape Studios was a group of American TV studios located in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. Owned by Reeves Communications Corp., Teletape was established in 1968, then bankrupt into Kaufman Astoria Studios in 1992.-Studios:...
facility, it hosted the sitcom Kate & Allie
Kate & Allie
Kate & Allie is an American television situation comedy which ran from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989. Kate & Allie first aired on CBS as a midseason replacement series and only six episodes were initially commissioned, but the favorable response from critics and viewers alike easily convinced CBS...
, which ran from 1984 to 1989 (as it happened, on CBS). In 1990 David Niles
David Niles (director)
David Niles is a director, director of photography and designer. He was one of the first to pioneer the commercial applications of High Definition television. He is cofounder of Colossalvision, a production and post-production facility....
/1125 Productions signed onto the lease, with the theater to house his HDTV studio and new Broadway show Dreamtime
Dreamtime (musical)
Dreamtime is an original musical by Jean Marc Cerrone and David Niles. It was created by Niles, based on an original story by Cerrone. Niles wrote the book for the musical. The show's message is the power of love and dreams. Billed as a "New Broadway Musical Experience," the show combined giant...
. During Dreamtimes successful run, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7D61F3DF931A15751C0A965958260&scp=1&sq=CBS+buys+a+theater+to+keep+letterman&st=nyt CBS bought the building from Winthrop Financial Associates of Boston. Niles was given four weeks to vacate. Due to the economics of moving the show and the lack of a comparable available Broadway theater, Dreamtime closed. The quick sale and vacancy of the building earned the realtor the Henry Hart Rice Achievement Award for the Most Ingenious Deal of the Year for 1993.
The Late Show
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
switched networks from NBC to CBS, CBS bought the theater in February 1993 for $4 million from Winthrop Financial Associates of Boston. The theater was reconfigured into a 400-seat studio, with lighting and sound adjustments. The architectural firm that did the work, Polshek Partnership
James Polshek
James Stewart Polshek is an American architect based in New York City. He is the founder of Polshek Partnership, the firm at which he was Principal Design Partner for more than four decades...
, notes on its web site that "to preserve the architectural integrity of the landmark, all interventions are reversible."
In 2005, it took nearly four months to retrofit the theater with the cabling and equipment necessary to broadcast high definition television.
Near the beginning of the first Letterman show in the fall of 1993, a quick reference was made to Sullivan's legacy, by splicing together several short clips of Sullivan introducing various acts, including, presumably, the singing group The Lettermen
The Lettermen
The Lettermen are an American male pop music vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959...
. This resulted in a fake clip of Sullivan saying, "And now, here on our stage... David... Letterman!" Letterman also joked that his crew opened an old closet in the theater which contained a 45-year old woman screaming, "Ringo!
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
"
Other uses
The Ed Sullivan Theater also serves as the home of the SurvivorSurvivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
reunion at the conclusion of each even numbered season beginning with season six (The Amazon). The theater also hosted marquee-top concerts by a few artists, including Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
in 2004, and Sir Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
in 2009. On June 22, 2010, the theater's roof served as the site of a concert featuring Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
and Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
.
External links
- Entry for the venue from the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....